Zabit Magomedsharipov Faces Youssef Zalal

Zabit Magomedsharipov has been booked for another grappling appearance, drawing UFC featherweight Youssef Zalal in the ACBJJ 22 main event. The contest is scheduled for Aug. 30 in Istanbul, Turkey, with the announced weight set at 154 pounds. The matchup brings together a former UFC fighter and a top-ranked active UFC featherweight, but it is not being presented as an MMA bout. It is a grappling match on the ACBJJ card, and the stated format and weight define the terms of the booking.

For Magomedsharipov, the news establishes a fresh competition date after his previously planned grappling return fell through. His earlier arrangement was a July match with Raul Rosas Jr., described as his first appearance since retiring from the UFC in 2020. That appearance never happened because Magomedsharipov withdrew with an undisclosed injury. The Zalal booking now replaces an unfulfilled plan with a confirmed opponent, event, city, date and weight class.

The announcement is significant chiefly because it provides clear details rather than broad speculation about Magomedsharipov’s future. He is scheduled to grapple Zalal, the match is attached to ACBJJ 22, and it will take place in Istanbul on Aug. 30. Those are the confirmed points. Nothing in the announced information identifies the contest as an MMA return, so the proper context is a standalone grappling match. Zalal gives the main event current UFC relevance.

He enters the booking after a recent UFC main event defeat, while Magomedsharipov arrives with a new opportunity to compete following the July withdrawal. The card also includes another announced meeting between recognizable former champions from different promotions. Readers can use the event details to distinguish the main event from the co-headlining match, especially because the two contests are set at separate weights. The announced ACBJJ 22 bouts are: Magomedsharipov vs. Zalal: the main event, scheduled as a 154-pound grappling match on Aug. 30 in Istanbul. Muhammad vs. Engizek: a 198-pound grappling match on the same ACBJJ 22 card.

ACBJJ 22 sets 154-pound main event

The 154-pound designation is central to understanding Magomedsharipov versus Zalal. Zalal is identified as a UFC featherweight, but the ACBJJ 22 contest is not listed as a UFC featherweight fight. Instead, the promotion announced a grappling match at 154 pounds. Keeping that distinction in view prevents the matchup from being framed as something beyond the available information. ACBJJ has also confirmed former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad for the event. Muhammad is set to grapple former Oktagon titleholder Kerim Engizek at 198 pounds. Their contest gives the card another prominent pairing, while Magomedsharipov and Zalal remain the announced main event.

The two matches share the Istanbul event, yet their listed weights are different and should not be treated as interchangeable. The event lineup can be read as follows: Confirmed matchup | Announced ACBJJ 22 detail Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Youssef Zalal | Main event grappling contest at 154 pounds, scheduled for Aug. 30 in Istanbul, Turkey. Belal Muhammad vs. Kerim Engizek | Grappling match at 198 pounds on the ACBJJ 22 card. Muhammad’s placement on the show comes after his most recent UFC loss, a decision defeat to Gabriel Bonfim that put him on a three-fight skid.

He was, however, victorious in a wrestling match against Ben Askren in RAF. Engizek had been riding a 17-fight MMA winning streak, including three submission stoppages, before consecutive title losses to Krzysztof Jotko in 2026. Those details belong to the card’s other announced matchup and do not alter the confirmed terms of the Magomedsharipov-Zalal main event.

Magomedsharipov’s situation is more straightforward: the July date with Rosas was abandoned after his withdrawal, and ACBJJ 22 now offers a newly scheduled grappling contest. The important reader takeaway is the chronology. His planned first appearance after the 2020 UFC retirement did not occur in July because of an undisclosed injury. The Aug. 30 contest with Zalal is the next announced opportunity for him to compete.

There is also a practical difference between the two leading bouts on the card. Magomedsharipov and Zalal are booked at 154 pounds, whereas Muhammad and Engizek are set for 198 pounds. ACBJJ’s announcement supplies both numbers, which makes the structure of the card clear without requiring any assumptions about other rules, divisions or future plans. Zalal’s presence adds recent UFC form to the main event. His latest result ended an extended unbeaten stretch inside the octagon, and several wins during that run came by submission. That record provides relevant background for a grappling booking, but it does not predict what will happen when he faces Magomedsharipov in Istanbul.

Zalal follows a nine-fight UFC streak

Zalal re-enters competition after losing to Aljamain Sterling in a UFC main event this past April. The loss halted a nine-fight unbeaten streak in the octagon. Five victories in that run came by submission, a detail that gives his ACBJJ appearance direct grappling context. The submission total does not establish an expected result against Magomedsharipov. It does, however, explain why Zalal is a notable opponent for a grappling main event.

He arrives from an active UFC career with a recent stretch that included multiple submission wins, while Magomedsharipov is returning to a scheduled competitive setting after missing the Rosas match in July. ACBJJ 22 therefore has a clearly defined centerpiece: Magomedsharipov against Zalal at 154 pounds. Istanbul is the announced location, Aug. 30 is the announced date, and grappling is the announced format. The surrounding UFC histories add context, but the booking itself should be judged by those confirmed event details.

• Magomedsharipov vs. Zalal: the main event, scheduled as a 154-pound grappling match on Aug. 30 in Istanbul.
• Muhammad vs. Engizek: a 198-pound grappling match announced for the same ACBJJ 22 card.

Magomedsharipov versus Zalal gives ACBJJ 22 its announced main event and gives Magomedsharipov a new confirmed date after the withdrawal from his planned July grappling contest. The match is scheduled for Aug. 30 in Istanbul at 154 pounds. Zalal comes into the event after an April UFC main event loss to Aljamain Sterling, which ended a nine-fight unbeaten run that included five submission victories. On the same card, Muhammad will grapple Engizek at 198 pounds, but the featured bout remains Magomedsharipov’s meeting with Zalal.

Sources: MMA Fighting